Rhodedendrons and soil

Does anyone grow these in a container? I was given a Rhododendron Purple Splendour as a gift and was wondering if I can use ericaceous compost alone when potting it up? Our soil round here is slightly alkaline so I can't put it in the ground.

The other option I was thinking about would ok to mix the compost with 1 part soil to say 3 parts acid compost just to add some body or would it be best just with the compost?

I'm also going to try and grab some coffee grounds later today to add in hopefully.

I always use ericaceous compost on its own for them.  Someone once advised me to put a layer of pine needles in the bottom of the pot first - have tried this on some, but doesn't seem to make any difference...depends whether your old Christmas tree is still hanging around I suppose!

It does make some difference, but if the soil is very alkaline then it may well be insufficient and the plant will get poor growth and yellowing leaves

Rhododendrons, the only container they should be in, is a skip.  I see the Lake District Wardens are starting to fight back against this weed.

Cheers,     Tony.

Rhodos are a bit demanding in that yes, they prefer ericaceous soil, they dislike soggy feet so planting them in a bit of a mound or slope is ideal, they need lots of water ( ), and they set buds in the fall so if hard frosts catch them, that's the flowering gone for the next year. They also suffer badly from windburn so need a sheltered spot and they prefer dappled shade rather than full sun. A few will prefer the odds, but the majority need the above.

I used to add sulphur powder and pine needles twice yearly to my rhodos and I also had to water weekly since we get less rain than the UK, but frosts kept nipping the buds and the plants didn't do well.